ity Council on Tuesday, March 27 voted 5-0 to 
The 5,200-square-foot area between Laguna and Forest avenues, off South Coast Highway, would likely be blended into designs for a general downtown upgrade and would be coordinated with a plan to improve traffic and pedestrian flow along Coast Highway between Broadway and Legion streets in the city’s downtown.
The traffic and pedestrian improvements, also unanimously approved Tuesday, follow a study that looked at lessening congestion by adding several left-hand turn pockets, removing parking on the southbound side of Coast Highway at Main Beach Park, adding several pedestrian scrambles and possibly turning Ocean Avenue into a one-way street. Cost for construction of those improvements is estimated at $560,000, with another $80,000 for the design work and $100,000 for a consultant.
“The pro-Park Plaza people really turned out,” said Councilman Bob Whalen, referring to the residents who spoke at Tuesday’s meeting in support of the need for more public meeting spaces in the city’s downtown. “But, there are also a substantial number of people opposed to it. Everybody knows more places in town like this are necessary but I think this needs to be integrated into the Downtown Specific Plan approval process.”
A final design for the plaza, which could take more than a year to complete, would need to go before several committees and then be approved by the Laguna Beach City Council.
Park Plaza began last fall as a trial project, a collaboration between the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce, Transition Laguna Beach and the Laguna Beach Beautification Council to create a meeting and relaxation spot for tourists and residents.
It was meant to bring more locals downtown in non-summer months and provide an enticement for visitors to stay longer.
The temporary plaza — which cost the city $75,100 to set up and $60,000 to maintain — opened in mid-October and closed Jan. 2. At the time, Billy Fried, one of the project organizers, said the plaza was a success.
“The goal is to vitalize a downtown area that generates little to no sustained foot traffic,” Fried said. “The plaza is intended to make the downtown more livable and to be a place to enjoy the many attributes we have of warmth of scenery and small-town scale and charm.”
But some residents complained that the plaza looked shabby. They said the road closure signs at the front of the plaza junked up the city’s iconic downtown and that the plaza was uninviting, cold and sterile.
Following the plaza’s closure, city staff reviewed feedback. Police officials, who had a live video feed set up in the plaza, said there were no incidents and that the plaza provided an opportunity for people leaving local bars to sober up. The city’s Public Works department spent a considerable amount of staff time cleaning tables and taking out trash, said Christa Johnson, assistant city manger.
Several surveys were taken asking visitors, residents and nearby restaurant and business owners for their reaction to the plaza. Overall, Johnson said, the feedback was positive.
But when word got to residents that the plaza was being considered by the City Council as a possible permanent downtown fixture, emails flooded City Hall, Johnson said. About two-thirds of the emails opposed a permanent plaza and one-third supported it, she said.
On Tuesday, during public comments, 15 people spoke in favor of the plaza while seven spoke against it.
“It did improve traffic, there was no vandalism and there was a lovely canopy of trees,” said Fried. “We have the facts now. It will be a legacy for all of us to enjoy for generations.”
Bill Hoffman, a local tour guide, said he conducted one of the surveys among 103 users of the plaza. He reported that 45 percent of the people using the plaza came from out of town.
“People who used the plaza said they liked it,” he said. “Seventy percent of those surveyed said they wanted to spend more time there — grabbing a bite and people watching. Out-of-towners said they like having a place to rest and then continue to shop. Merchants reported they liked it but didn’t know if it increased sales.
“Plazas work when they’re right on the street,” Hoffman said.
But some residents, including Tanya Hovanesian, complained that closing lower Park Avenue made it difficult to get to and from her home.
“It’s impossible to turn left on Forest in the summer,” she said. “No one talked to people trying to get home. It can be somewhere else. It’s just a real hassle.”